Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1918-1941

What can these records tell me?

Each record will show a transcript and an image of the original document from The National Archives at Kew. The detail in each transcript will vary depending on the type of record, but the Merchant Navy records usually include the following information about your ancestor:

Name
Age
Birth date
Birth place
Birth county – In the records where the seaman was born outside of England, this field may show their birth country
Discharge number
Identity certificate number
Card type
Archive
Date range
Series
Piece number

Image

As well as providing information about your ancestor's career, it should be noted that the Merchant Navy Seamen records can also reveal what he or she looked like. Many of the records include a photograph or a physical description, bringing you face-to-face with your ancestor. We have listed the additional information you may find on the images. The list is organised by The National Archive reference and title.

BT348 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Central Index, Numerical Series (CR 2)

Rank or rating
Voyage dates and vessel numbers

BT349 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Central Index, Alphabetical Series (CR 1)

Rating
Certificate
Health insurance number
Unemployment insurance number
Physical descriptions such as height, hair and eye colour, and distinguishing marks

BT350 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Special Index, Alphabetical Series (CR 10)

RNR number
Nationality
Father’s nationality
Physical descriptions such as height, hair and eye colour, and tattoos
Name and address of next of kin
Signing-on date
Portrait photograph

BT364 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Registers of Seamen, Combined Numerical Index (CR1, CR2 and CR10 Series) and Alphabetical Index

Rating
RV 2 Number
Certificate
Health insurance number
Unemployment insurance number
Height, hair and eye colour, complexion and distinguishing marks
Signature

Discover more about these records

The Merchant Navy Seamen 1918-1941 records include index cards that the Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman used between the two world wars to produce a centralised index to merchant seamen serving on British merchant navy vessels. The Board of Trade issued these cards and they fall into three types: CR1, CR2 and CR10. There are two or more cards for some individuals. These are volumes from The National Archives' record series BT 348, BT 349, BT 350 and BT 364. The originals are held by the Southampton Archives.

In most cases, the front of a card gives the basic biographical information about each individual – his name, his year and place of birth, his rank or rating, and so on. Initials were sometimes given rather than first names. Sometimes there is a physical description. You may also be able to see other information about your ancestor, such as discharge number, health insurance number, address of kin and so on.

The reverse of the card may be blank or may contain a list of official vessel numbers and signing-on dates, and/or a photograph and/or signature of the seamen. Sometimes a photograph is not on the reverse of the card but on a separate attached card. Where this is the case, use the arrow on the right side of the image. Where available, the photographs of the mariners are enormously evocative of the inter-war working-class men who made the British merchant navy what it was.

These records are particularly valuable due to the wide range of people they include. It is possible to find records for British nationals, foreign British-registered men and women, experienced crewmen and young cabin crew. Whatever your ancestor's role on the merchant ships, it is well worth searching for them in these records.